“Children 404” (runtime: 70 mins) Touching documentary dealing with the struggles Russian LGBT-youths are facing with recent anti-gay propaganda legislation and homophobia in Russia. Through the use of (anonymous) interviews and video diaries, LGBT-youths share a view of their daily life in which discrimination and violence is taking place on a regular basis. In 2013,
“Children 404”
(runtime: 70 mins)
Touching documentary dealing with the struggles Russian LGBT-youths are facing with recent anti-gay propaganda legislation and homophobia in Russia. Through the use of (anonymous) interviews and video diaries, LGBT-youths share a view of their daily life in which discrimination and violence is taking place on a regular basis.
In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin passed a bill forbidding the “promotion of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.” LGBT-youth, now defenseless against insults and intimidation under this “gay propaganda” law, are considered sick, sinful and abnormal. Psychologists, teachers and even parents can be fined or imprisoned for supporting them. Forty-five Russian teens and tweens share their stories through anonymous interviews and video diaries. They detail their humiliations and discriminations, as well as their courageous stands against bullies. Their testimonies are collected online as the Children 404 project, named after the common “error 404 – page not found” web message. The support group’s founder struggles within the system to bring public attention and empathy to the victims of this government-endorsed hate, while activist Pasha decides he must leave his homeland altogether if he hopes to find a boyfriend and lead a normal life.
“Dangerous acts starring the unstable elements of Belarus”
(runtime: 76 mins)
A documentary made possible by smuggled footage and uncensored interviews. Against the background of repressions that followed the December 2010 elections and the arrest of opposition leader Sannikov, the Belarus Free Theatre is trying to attract attention with their performances for the current human rights situation in Belarus.
Creating provocative theater carries great personal risks: emotional, financial and artistic. For the members of the Belarus Free Theatre, there are additional risks: censorship, imprisonment, and worse. Director Madeleine Sackler goes behind the scenes with the acclaimed troupe of imaginative and subversive performers who, in a desolate country choked by censorship and repression, defy Europe’s last remaining dictatorship. When authorities forbid critical examinations of such topics as sexual orientation, alcoholism, suicide and politics, the Free Theatre responds by injecting these taboos into performances that are staged underground. And yet, because of the power of their message, they receive critical acclaim overseas.
Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus picks up the story in 2010 when the KGB is cracking down on dissenters, sixteen years after Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko took power during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Now, as a dubious new presidential election looms, the KGB targets members of the Free Theatre who find themselves torn between fighting for their art and for their own safety.
Organisation Kino Siska with cooperation with Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
